Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
you who minister in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—
Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan—
and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
Your name, Lord, endures forever,
your renown, Lord, through all generations.
For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
house of Levi, praise the Lord;
you who fear him, praise the Lord.
Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 135
Praise the Lord.
Yes we should praise the Lord. This Lord that the people of Athens did not know, but Paul clearly shows how God reveals himself. And just as in those days, there are many reasons we should praise the Lord.
The Lord our God treasures those in his family. He loves, cherishes & blesses them. A family made possible by and gathering around his son Jesus. For those in his family singing praise should indeed be a pleasure. Serving this God who loves us so deeply is a joy. Praise the Lord.
The Lord our God is awesome creator. Look around you at all you see. Think about some of the special places in this world you have seen. The power of the storm. The abundant life of the jungle. The vastness of the ocean. He made them all. He controls them all. This creative power & majesty is something that declares his name. Praise the Lord.
The Lord our God is fearsome for those who oppose him. He has struck down mighty armies. He has killed kings. He is above all human powers. He is not someone you want to go up against. This is a God who always gets his way. Praise the Lord.
The Lord our God is eternal. His name will last forever. He always has been, and always will be. God will never change and can always be trusted. God will always be true to his character of bringing justice & compassion to those who love & serve him. Praise the Lord.
The Lord our God is greater than any idol. Impotent idols who over-promise and under-deliver. These idols, even our modern ones, are dead and pointless. Following them leads to a dead & pointless life. The only thing worth following is the Lord our God. Praise the Lord.
So for all these reasons, and so many more, we should…
Praise the Lord.
Take some time to praise the Lord our God now. Maybe grab your favourite praise song and sing it from the heart. Maybe write a letter of praise to God. Maybe post something on facebook about how great God is. Whatever it is take the time now to praise the Lord.
And don’t stop there, but consider how you might live your life as praise to the Lord.
Grow Deeper
Do you want to see what happens to those who oppose the Lord?
Read Numbers 21:21-35
Here we see what happened to earthly kings who oppose God. The Lord our God is someone to be feared. A fearsome, powerful God that deserves our praise
Prayer
Dear Lord,
You are great. You are deserving of all my praise. You are deserving of my life & service. You love & treasure me more than I deserve. You have displayed your incredible creativity in all of creation. You are might, powerful and not to be opposed. You have always been, and always will be. Unlike the idols in my life you are the only one who will answer back when I call. For all these reasons & more I want to praise you. Praise you with my mouth. Praise you with my time. Praise you with my money. Praise you with my whole life. You deserve nothing less. Lord help me praise you with my whole being. You are worthy of all praise.
In Jesus name,
Amen.